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Animals for kids

Young children will delight in this charming story of the famous American cook Julia Child living in Paris with her husband Paul and her mischievous tortoiseshell cat, Minette. Julia Child learns to cook with passion and endless energy. Minette inhales the delicious aromas and dines on the most scrumptious meals, yet being a cat, still prefers a good fresh mouse.

Newbery medalist (for A Year Down Yonder) Richard Peck pens an exciting, humorous mouse adventure - - a nonstop entertaining run of mice at sea, sailing with their people, the Cranstons, to England in search of a husband for daughter, Olive Cranston. Helena, the eldest mouse sister, and her family fear discovery, the perils of open water, and the menace of the ship’s cat. Helena narrates the story from mouse perspective (“. . . We mice dream of nothing but cheese and time running out.” p.

This is a tragic story of a wild, white Manchurian pony’s capture by men and his forced life of serving cruel owners, and later becoming part of an historic journey--the 1910 Terra Nova polar expedition to the South Pole led by Captain Robert Scott. James Pigg, as he is named after a book character, tells his story from his pony point of view. He finds kindness and friendship in Patrick, one of Scott’s men, and decides to work hard to help men accomplish their goal.

What young boy wouldn’t want a dog? Rufus, a fifth grader, argues persistently to justify his need for a dog. His dad stubbornly lists the many reasons why dogs are forbidden in their house: “They infest the house with blood-sucking fleas” and “They drag dead animals into the house” (p. 3). In an attempt to compromise, Mom brings home a guinea pig. “Fido” turns out to be no ordinary guinea pig. In fact, she does everything a dog would do! She plays Frisbee, obeys commands, licks faces and fetches sticks.

Fredle, a small house mouse, indulges in a delicious peppermint pattie, becomes ill, and is pushed out of the family nest. Tossed outside from the farmer’s wife’s dust pan, he is left to die or survive on his own. He befriends Sadie the dog (Sadie, a simple-minded border collie from Voigt’s earlier book, Angus and Sadie in the Davis Farm series) and a few field mice, who become valuable allies. New dangers await—owls, the barnyard snake, and an outlaw gang of raccoons planning to fatten him for their feast.

Uh-oh! Little Owl has fallen from the nest and cannot find Mommy! With the help of a dizzy but well-meaning squirrel, Little Owl sees many animals with some of the same traits as Mommy Owl, but that are definitely not her. Whooo--I mean, who-- knows where she is? Originally published in Europe with the title A Bit Lost, this book features gentle humor, charming animal characters and simple landscapes in bright colors with contrasting earth tones. It's great for reading aloud, with enough of a pattern to make it good for beginning readers as well.

In a red stocking cap, Baby Owl is playing with his sled in the snowy woods. Baby Hare comes along, sees him, and mistakes him for Santa Claus. Baby Owl tries to convince Baby Hare that he isn’t Santa, but Baby Hare doesn’t believe it and starts crying. Baby Owl does his best to calm Baby Hare down, but things go from bad to worse. Who can save the day?

Elska is the first book in the Horse Diaries series. The story starts with the birth of a new foal, Elska, and the story is told in Elska’s voice. Elska is an Icelandic horse, living around 1000 AD in Iceland. The story follows Elska as she meets humans who she learns to love. The story is filled with fascinating facts about horses and Iceland and teaches new vocabulary.

This installment in the Bad Kitty series which began as a picture book series and then morphed into chapter books, is a look at Bad Kitty’s birthday party. We meet many different breeds of cats all coming to the party bearing gifts, none of which make Bad Kitty happy. Interspersed with scientific facts about cats, this heavily illustrated book is laugh out loud funny, and is recommended for 3rd grade and up.

Fudge and Einstein, two charming, raisin-loving pet ferrets, are in trouble! Their owner, Andrea, is cat-sitting for a friend, and Marvel, the visiting cat, mistakes the ferrets for tasty rats! Fudge and Einstein must come up with a plan to save themselves from being Marvel's "ferret fritters fur-ever."

A story told from the animal's point of view, a female gopher snake is captured by a "filthy, fleshy human child" named Gunnar. The boy calls the snake "Crusher," and puts his new "pet" in a terrarium in his bedroom, next to cages occupied by wild animals that Gunnar has captured but since lost interest in. While looking for her chance to escape, Crusher observes Gunnar and his habits, his family, friends, and his love of video games.

Baby Bat never wants to leave his cozy cave where thousands of little bats and their mothers sleep together like a huge furry coat and where Mother Bat provides warmth and milk. But Baby Bat grows bigger and must soon practice wing-flapping to learn to fly and hunt in the outside world. One night when he practices wing-flapping, he takes to the air, but falls down into the nest of Pluribus Packrat. P.